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Water Supply in Pune
Watersupply is the key department in Pune Municipal Corporation. Water in Pune Historical Aspects The Pataleshwar Cave may have possibly the earliest water harvesting system in Pune. Groves along the floor of the ‘courtyard’ outside the cave/ temple area lead into a water tank possibly to channelize rainwater into the tank. The Damming of Ambil Odha The Ambil Odha was dammed at Katraj in 1755, creating two lakes. The upper one is for settling silt and the lower one for providing water. An eight km long tunnel was built starting at this lake and opening out as a series of water tanks (Hauds) at Shaniwar wada and the nearby houses. Some of these, such as the Kala Haud and the Nana Haud, are still functional. The course of the Ambil Odha was changed around the same time, and a temple built at Sarasbagh, which was a marshy area along side the odha course. The Dams built by the British From about 1600 AD, the British East India Company had started trading with and controlling many parts of the Indian region. The British brought with them new ideas of how to plan cities. In 1860, they set up the Pune Municipality and military settlements or cantonments at Khadki and Pune. They also created water supply systems for these new settlements. These are: :Khadakwasla Dam: Built by the British in 1876 small canal running parallel to the Mutha brought the water to Pune. Some of the pipe lines laid about 150 years ago still exist. :Pashan Dam: Built on the Ram Nadi to supply water to the Governor’s Residence (now the University of Pune) :Mula-Mutha Bund: A smaller dam was built on the Mula-Mutha to retain water in the river and to supply water to Pune Cantonment. Downstream of the bund, the shallow slow moving water became a habitat for molluscs, and vegetation. Birds migrating from Europe have found this a good spot for spending the winter. Water for Modern Pune The forests in the Sahyadris help to trap rainwater during the monsoon. The city of Pune is dependent on the mountain range for its water. Punekars still use the waters of the Mutha from the Khadakwasla reservoir. More dams have been built at Panshet, Warasgaon and Temghar. The Katraj and Pashan dams probably help to recharge ground water which is used by thousands of Punekars. These dams are managed by the Irrigation Dept. PMC buys water from the Irrigation Dept, and treats and supplies it to us. With a careful look at this wikimap, one can trace the pipeline and the Right Bank Canal that bring water from Khadakwasla to Pune. :Quantity of water bought by PMC from Irrigation Dept in 2007 = 874million litres :Cost of pumping, treatment and water supply = Rs. 1/Litre :Number of domestic water connections = 19253 :Number of commercial water connections = 14902 :Actual cost of water supply = Rs. 3.17 per KL :Domestic water tax rate = Rs. 5 per KL :Commercial water tax rate = Rs. 21 per KL Water Treatment Water treatment plants have been built by PMC at Parvati, Pune Cantonment, Holkar Bridge Warje (new and old), Wagholi and Wadgaon. Untreated water from the dam may contain dirt and germs. It is treated by PMC to make it safe for consumption and use. The treatment involves straining, alum addition (flocculation), settling, filtration and chlorination. Water Supply Water is supplied to different parts of the city through a network of pumping stations and pipelines. Since these water pumps run on electricity, the electricity bill is a large part of the cost of distributing water. Several large water storage tanks have been built in different parts of Pune. If impurities enter these tanks, thousands of people can fall ill. Citizens are expected to keep the area around these tanks clean. Sewage or impurities can also enter water pipes if they are broken. Illegal connections from the pipes or other damage can cause this. If one sees a leaking or broken water or sewage pipe, citizens are expected to immediately inform the PMC Water Dept or nearest ward office. Sewage Treatment Waste water or sewage from houses flows through small open drains or underground sewage pipes. These join big drains or sewage pipes that carry the sewage to a Sewage Treatment Plant. Several house holds are not connected to the sewage network. Instead they have septic tanks, or they may just have open drains discharging their waste water into a near by water body. The river’s flow naturally treats sewage. However, since the quantity of sewage is very large, the river cannot cope. People living downstream get polluted water. The riverine ecosystem in Pune has changed considerably with increased sewage loads over the years. Ranwa’s biodiversity studies have recvelaed the loss of fish species due to this pollution (see Pune Alive). Ground Water Use Some rainwater seeps through soil till it reaches a layer of solid rock, where it collects. This is groundwater. Many houses have bore wells to draw ground water up for use. PMC is encouraging rain water harvesting and recharge of groundwater. PMC has also commissioned a study of the groundwater and aquifers in Pune.